Italian police recover over 300 looted artifacts, display them at the Colosseum

ROME – ROME (AP) — Italian police have recovered hundreds of ancient artifacts in their latest effort against looted art, and chosen a unique setting to display them: the Colosseum.

The 337 pieces displayed Friday at the ancient Roman arena include vases, bronze tools and marble statues of Venus, some dating as far back as the 8th century B.C.

Police said the pieces are worth some euro15 million (about $20 million) overall. They say the pieces were returned from Switzerland in June after a two-year investigation.

Italy has aggressively pursued the return of art it says was illegally looted from its soil and sold to museums worldwide. This probe grew out of an investigation into an Italian art dealer, later convicted on art trafficking charges.